Strange Sisters

Lisa Kijak
Los Angeles, CA

Odd. Strange. Troubled. Twisted. Nowhere were those words more
readily used than on the covers of the lesbian pulp fiction
novels of the 1950's. The titles suggested that the provocatively
dressed women on the covers were social outcasts, beyond reprieve.
And while many of these novels ultimately ended with
the girl getting married, committing suicide, or otherwise
rejecting the lesbian "lifestyle", these books impacted an
audience that had previously been isolated and ignored.
Thanks to the important writings of Ann Bannon, Vin Packer,
and Patricia Highsmith, women from all over recognized themselves
in print for the first time and realized that they were not
alone in their thoughts and feelings.
Their characters were brave, passionate, smart, honest, and
true...and not the least bit strange after all.